Thursday, February 5, 2015

Brit Lit CPI: Blogging, Bragging & Beowulf

We'll make some predictions about why we opened with this and how it might relate to what's coming next.

Today we start building our routines and diving into the first of the texts we're going to read this semester: Beowulf.

NO RED INK.

We'll be using NoRedInk.com this semester to help with our MUGS: Mechanics, Usage, Grammar, Spelling. You'll be taking a pre-test today for me to get a baseline of your strengths and weaknesses in those areas. We'll also be doing some goal setting.

I know I have a goal for you folks: complete sentences, proper capitalization, and commonly mistaken words. If you can wrangle these three things, you can navigate most any writing and communication situation: job applications, official letters, e-mails to people that aren't your friends, etc.

So, we'll get started with the Semester PreTest.

GUIDELINES & EXPECTATIONS.

After No Red Ink & MUGS, we'll review our sketchnotes from the Guidelines & Expectations quickly. I want to make sure people understand what is being asked of everyone in the room the semester including me.

BRAGGING & BEOWULF.

Then we'll talk about bragging, about smack talk, about running our mouths, about rumors, about getting in people's faces, about how we handle them, and then taking a look at how long this has been a problem by looking at ancient and modern poetry.

We'll be breaking up the reading into group chunks with a few key questions for each. We'll use this time to get a sense of what the heck is going on in Beowulf, the central characters, and then we'll look at the language more specifically.

Req'd Blog Post for the Week: Letting Fly the Taunts and Volleys of a Thousand Suns Upon the Ears of the Meek Before Us a.k.a. Running Our Mouths

Boast, brag, run yer mouth about anything you like -- just keep it relatively school friendly. It could be aggressive and calling someone or something out or it could be talking about how great you are at knitting. I trust you to use your best judgement there. Remember: swearing is lazy. It can be fun. And it's lazy. Your boast